CFE v. The State of New York
The Right to a Sound Basic Education
History of the CFE v. The State of New York - A Timeline
1992 - Robert Jackson, a parent with three children in the New York City public schools, becomes angry that his children’s schools don’t have enough money. He notices that students at New YorkState schools outside of the city have a lot more money to teach each student.
1993 - Robert Jackson and his school board lawyer, Michael A. Rebell, sue New YorkState on behalf of all New York City schoolchildren. They claim that the state has denied students their constitutional right to a “sound basic education” by not giving the schools the money they need. They also claimed that New YorkState was discriminating against minority students who live in New York City by giving their schools less than schools in other parts of the state.
1995 - New YorkState tried to dismiss the case, claiming that Jackson and Rebell were not allowed to sue to get more money for schools. But the New York State Court of Appeals said they had a right to sue.
2000 - It took 5 more years to finally get a trial. The trial ended in July 2000.
2001 - On January 10, 2001 Justice Leland DeGrasse decided that the C.F.E. had won the case. He said that the system for deciding how much money to give to schools was unconstitutional, that meant it was unfair and had to be changed. He also agreed that the system discriminated against minority students. The state was ordered to change the system so that schools in New York would get the money they needed. Robert Jackson was very happy, it looked like they had won! The state had to change the system before September 15, 2001 - that was their deadline.
Justice Leland DeGrasse said that all schools must have:
(1) sufficient numbers of qualified teachers, principals, and other personnel
(2) appropriate class sizes
(3) adequate and accessible facilities
(4) sufficient and up-to-date books, supplies, libraries, technology, and laboratories
(5) suitable curricula, including an expanded platform of programs for at-risk students
(6) adequate resources for students with extraordinary needs
(7) a safe, orderly environment
2003 - New YorkState appealed the court’s order. The state did not want to have to pay the schools more money, and asked the courts to change their decision. But the Court of Appeals refused to change their decision. However, they did extend the deadline to July 30, 2004, giving the state extra time to change the system.
2004 - The state did not change the system before the deadline on July 30, 2004. The judge ordered New YorkState to pay $15 billion so that New York City schools would have the money they need in order for everyone to get a “sound basic education.”
It has been over 500 days since the court ordered New YorkState to give our city’s schools the money they need. So far, Governor George Pataki has refused to give our schools the money!
What does a “Sound Basic Education” look like?
Name: ______
Student Surveys
Group 1: My question: What does a “high quality teacher” look like? How do you know that a teacher is “high quality”? What do they do?
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Survey Results
Group 1
- In your group, have each person read aloud the answers they received on the survey.
- Based on your survey results, the group must create a short description of what a “high quality teacher” is below.
- Does our school have “high quality teachers”? Discuss with your group and describe the essential qualities which you believe some of our teachers may lack below. Please do not refer to any specific teachers by name!
- Using the money we are owed from the State of New York, how could we guarantee that all teachers are “high quality teachers”?
What does a “Sound Basic Education” look like?
Name: ______
Student Surveys
Group 2: My question: What does a “small class” look like? How many students should be in a class in order to give everyone a “sound basic education”?
Student Name / Grade / Answer1.
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Name: ______
Survey Results
Group 2
- Use the answers you received on your survey to find the average number of students that people believe should be in a class. To find the average, use a calculator to add up all 10 numbers, then divide this sum by 10.
According to my survey, the average number of students per class should be:______ - How many people are in your classes? Compare your result to the average number of students in answer #1.
- How can we use the money we are owed by the State of New York to reduce the number of students in each class? What do we need in order to have smaller classes?
What does a “Sound Basic Education” look like?
Name: ______
Student Surveys
Group 3: My question: What do “adequate supplies” look like? What specific items must a school have in order to give everyone a “sound basic education”?
Student Name / Grade / Answer1.
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Student Name / Grade / Answer
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Name: ______
Survey Results
Group 3
- In your group, have each person read aloud the answers they received on the survey.
- Based on your survey results, the group must create a short description of what “adequate supplies” are below.
- Does our school have “adequate supplies”? Discuss with your group and describe the essential items which you believe our school may lack below.
- Which supplies are most needed in our school? Select one type of item from your list above which you believe should be our first priority when we receive the money we are owed by the State of New York. Why is this type of supply the most important for our school?
Name: ______
How Can We Help CFE Get the Money We Deserve?
The Campaign for Fiscal Equity needs your help! We are going to create materials that CFE will use to fight for more money for our schools.
You may work by yourself or with a partner – No groups bigger than 2!
You and your partner must choose one of the following projects to complete:
- Create a CFE timeline poster.
You will use the timeline and other information provided to create a poster which tells the story of Robert Jackson and his fight in the New YorkState courts. Your timeline will be a brief summary of what happened in each year featured on the timeline. You may wish to include quotes from fellow students describing how our school could change for the better with more money. Your timeline should also include advice for people who want to help us fight for more money – they should write to Governor Pataki or their state legislator. Get creative. Use pictures/drawings to show events in your timeline. Make them eye catching. We want people to read them and join our fight.
- Create an informative CFE pamphlet.
You will use the timeline and other information provided to create a pamphlet which will teach people about the CFE case. Your pamphlet will need a front cover with a title that inspires people to read more. Inside, your pamphlet will tell the story of Robert Jackson and why he decided to sue the State of New York. Also in your pamphlet, you will briefly summarize the timeline of events in the case. You may wish to include quotes from fellow students describing how our school could change for the better with more money. You should also include information and advice for people who want to help us fight for more money – they should write to Governor Pataki or their state legislator. Get creative. Use pictures/drawings and decorations to grab people’s attention. We want people to be inspired to open your pamphlet and read it.
The posters will be displayed in our school; the pamphlets will be copied and distributed to both parents and teachers. Our goal is to show everyone that students are helping to fight for the money they deserve.
Your grade for this project will be based on the quality of the poster or pamphlet you create – so work hard and make them nice to read.
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